Advanced social work practitioner Leaving care service

Beighton; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Guaranteed Interview scheme

Job share / part-time discussions

Job summary

Sheffield City Council is seeking an Advanced Social Work Practitioner for the Leaving Care service. You will work autonomously on complex cases, mentor junior social workers, and oversee risk assessments, care proceedings, and safeguarding investigations.

The role emphasizes high professional standards, practice education of social work students, and flexible working options, with a starting salary at the bottom of the grade and progression opportunities within a supportive team.

Qualifications

• Experienced senior social work practitioner with frontline statutory and leaving care experience.
• Undertakes complex casework autonomously while supervising others.
• Carries out safeguarding investigations in a multi-agency environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervision and development for personal advisors in leaving care.
• Analyse and think through challenging cases to promote best practice.
• Present evidence in court when required.
• Lead risk assessments and contribute to care proceedings.

Skills

Autonomous practice

Mentoring / supervision

Court work experience

Risk assessments

Multi-agency safeguarding

Education

Qualified Social Worker (BSW/DipSW)

Leaving Care experience

Job description

Advanced social work practitioner Leaving care service

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

As an Advanced Social Work Practitioner in the Leaving Care service, you will play a vital role in ensuring the highest professional standards, conduct, and quality of social work practice. You will work autonomously with complex cases while also supporting and mentoring less experienced social workers, helping them to analyse and think through challenging situations to promote best practice and positive outcomes for children and young people. You will also provide supervision and development for a number of personal advisors within the leaving care service.

You'll need to be an experienced qualified senior social work practitioner with significant senior social worker frontline statutory and leaving care experience working autonomously undertaking complex casework, with extensive experience in completing risk assessments, care proceedings, presenting evidence in court, practice education of social work students and carrying out safeguarding investigations in a multi-agency environment.

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we’ll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyoneand where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.